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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

Labour bid to force ministers to reveal details of horror schools at risk of collapse

Labour will today try to force the Government to reveal which crumbling schools are at most risk of collapse.

Ministers have so far failed to publish details about the true state of thousands of dilapidated school buildings in England - despite a review finding "alarming" problems with the school estate.

A leaked government report last year revealed that some school buildings in England were in such disrepair that they posed a “risk to life” to children and staff.

And the Department for Education raised the risk of school buildings collapsing from “critical” to “critical – very likely” in its annual report in December 2022.

But schools and parents have been left in the dark over which buildings are affected.

In January, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said the Government “plans to publish more detailed data shortly” but no details have emerged.

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned children faced threats to their safety (Getty Images)

Labour will try to force ministers to publish the data today using a parliamentary mechanism called a "humble address".

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “For two years Conservative ministers have pulled the wool over parents’ eyes instead of telling them the truth about the real state of their children’s school buildings.

“Years of Conservative neglect of the school estate means that children face disruption to learning as well as direct threats to their safety – yet parents are still in the dark about the scale of the problem.”

NASUWT General Secretary Patrick Roach said: "School staff and parents have a right to know if their schools are at risk and what is being done to ensure the safety of their schools."

Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: "It is disturbing that the Government has let school buildings fall into such a state of disrepair that some even pose a risk to those who work and study in them.

"It is equally disturbing that despite the warnings Government either does not know, or will not tell us, which buildings fall into this category.

"In one of the most advanced economies in the world it is shocking that children, young people and school staff work and learn in an environment that is dangerously unsafe."

The Government announced on Monday that more than 1,000 school building improvement projects had been approved.

Some 859 academies, sixth-form colleges and schools will receive cash from a £456 million pot created to help refurbish and repair school buildings.

A DfE spokesperson said: "The safety of pupils and staff is paramount. We have one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of school building conditions in Europe, and this allows us to understand the condition of the school estate in England and how it is changing over time.

"We have used these findings to inform our £450 million investment to improve the school estate.

"This is part of £15 billion of capital funding we have allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed in 2023-24, for essential maintenance and improvements."

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